Arizona Diamondbacks Promote Top Prospect Corbin Carroll

The Arizona Diamondbacks are in the midst of another rebuilding season. Currently eight games under .500, they have all been eliminated from postseason contention. This has led them to focus even more on the future. Which is exactly what they are doing with the news they made on Sunday.

According to multiple reports, the Diamondbacks will be promoting top prospect Corbin Carroll to make his big league debut on Monday night against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Facing Phillies southpaw Ranger Suarez won’t be an easy task for the left-handed hitting Carroll, but he is sure to be up for the challenge as he gets his first taste of big league action. Selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, Carroll has shot through the D-Backs farm system this year.

He opened the season playing in Double-A, where he hit .313/.430/.643, with 16 home runs, 11 doubles and eight triples. Those 35 extra-base hits were rather impressive, considering he racked them up playing in just 58 games before being promoted to Triple-A.

Of all hitters in the Texas League who have at least 250 plate appearances this season, only Moises Gomez had a higher wRC+ than Carroll did with the 166 wRC+ he posted in Double-A.

Since getting promoted to Triple-A in July, Carroll has kept hitting, slashing .287/.408/.535, with seven home runs, 11 doubles and a 135 wRC+. Known for his exceptional plate discipline, Carroll has a combined .425 OBP this season and is drawing walks in over 15% of his plate appearances.

Along with giving great at-bats, Carroll also brings above-average speed and defense to the table for the D-Backs. The 22-year-old has all the quickness and instincts required to be a plus defender in center field. His speed also translates to the basepaths, as he has swiped 31 bases on 36 chances in 2022.

Carroll now joins fellow top prospect Alek Thomas at the big league level, with the latter having made his debut back on May 8th. Thomas has endured some growing pains with his bat (84 wRC+), but he has at least played strong defense in center field.

Thomas grades in the 90th percentile right now in Outs Above Average with 5 OAA. He has also posted 4 DRS. It will be interesting to see how the Diamondbacks decide to align their outfield with Carroll and Thomas but however they do, we will be looking at the outfield of the future in Arizona.

Scouting Report

Corbin Carroll is the top prospect in the Diamondbacks organization, with the chance to be an impact player in their outfield for years to come. Carroll checked in at No. 12 in our preseason top 100 prospect list. Here is the scouting report on Carroll from Aram Leighton.

12.Corbin Carroll – OF – Arizona Diamondbacks

Age: 21 | Height/Weight: 5’10’, 220 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 1st Round (16), 2019 (ARI) | ETA: 2023

An absolute speedster with phenomenal baseball instincts and a veteran’s presence in the batter’s box, Carroll is a safe bet to be a solid big leaguer with All-Star potential. 

2021 Stats (A+): (7 Games) – .435/.552/.913, 2 HR, 5 XBH, 3 SB

Offense

Starts almost completely upright and then proceeds to drop his weight into his back hip and get his body low. Stays on his back leg surprisingly well for a young hitter and already has an efficient bat path that projects perfectly for line drives. More bat speed than you’d expect given his small frame, leading to sneaky pop to the pull-side.

Another grinder at the plate, Carroll is constantly battling and is a hard player to get out. He already has a polished approach that led to a 17.5% walk rate in 31 games as a 19-year-old in rookie ball. His ground ball and line drive heavy approach is perfect for him given that he is consistently clocked around 3.9 seconds to first base. Carroll has the offensive profile of a top of the order catalyst who should produce high batting averages and on-base percentages, as well as adding up to 20 homers per season.

Defense/Speed

Carroll has the makings of an easy plus defender in center field. His 70-grade speed and 5-foot-10 frame allow him to reach his top speed relatively quickly, giving him closing speed that few others in the minors possess. His reads are already close to big league average, and he has a plus arm that produces consistent and accurate throws. He’s a lock to stick in center field long-term and he has the upside to be a premier, Gold Glove center fielder.

Outlook

Carroll was one our big time breakout candidates coming into the season. He looked to be in the midst of a breakout through his first seven games of the season before unfortunately going down with a shoulder injury for the year. Carroll is so advanced and has such an interesting skill-set that we think he will make up for lost time and enjoy a big season next year.

With only 49 pro games under his belt, Carroll lacks the exposure that typically comes with big name prospects. Due to the success he had at the ATS and the fact that he has a chance to have above-average tools across the board, Carroll is already an elite prospect and he has the potential to be one of the 15 best prospects in all of baseball if he continues to perform.